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It is very likely that the Tsarnaev boys acted without outside oversight or materiel support, but that doesn't mean that they operated in a vacuum. The NYPD has a superb analysis of the radicalization process that produces homegrown jihadis, which can be read at http://www.nypdshield.org/public/Sit...n_the_West.pdf. Here's part of the executive summary, with highlights that are especially prescient:

PHASES OF RADICALIZATION
PRE-RADICALIZATION. Pre-Radicalization is the point of origin for individuals before they begin this progression. It is their life situation before they were exposed to and adopted jihadi-Salafi Islam as their own ideology.

• The majority of the individuals involved in these plots began as “unremarkable” - they had “ordinary” jobs, had lived “ordinary” lives and had little, if any criminal history.

SELF-IDENTIFICATION. Self-Identification is the phase where individuals, influenced by both internal and external factors, begin to explore Salafi Islam, gradually gravitate away from their old identity and begin to associate themselves with like-minded individuals and adopt this ideology as their own. The catalyst for this “religious seeking” is a cognitive opening, or crisis, which shakes one’s certitude in previously held beliefs and opens an individual to be receptive to new worldviews. There can be many types of triggers that can serve as the catalyst including:

INDOCTRINATION. Indoctrination is the phase in which an individual progressively intensifies his beliefs, wholly adopts jihadi-Salafi ideology and concludes, without question, that the conditions and circumstances exist where action is required to support and further the cause. That action is militant jihad. This phase is typically facilitated and driven by a “spiritual sanctioner”.

• While the initial self-identification process may be an individual act, as noted above, association with like-minded people is an important factor as the process
deepens. By the indoctrination phase this self-selecting group becomes increasingly important as radical views are encouraged and reinforced.

JIHADIZATION. Jihadization is the phase in which members of the cluster accept their individual duty to participate in jihad and self-designate themselves as holy warriors or mujahedeen. Ultimately, the group will begin operational planning for the jihad or a terrorist attack. These “acts in furtherance” will include planning, preparation and execution.

• While the other phases of radicalization may take place gradually, over two to three years, this jihadization component can be a very rapid process, taking only a few months, or even weeks to run its course.

FINDINGS

• Al-Qaeda has provided the inspiration for homegrown radicalization and terrorism; direct command and control by al-Qaeda has been the exception, rather than the rule among the case studies reviewed in this study. • The four stages of the radicalization process, each with its distinct set of indicators and signatures, are clearly evident in each of the nearly one dozen terrorist-related case studies reviewed in this report.

o In spite of the differences in both circumstances and environment in each of the cases, there is a remarkable consistency in the behaviors and trajectory of each of the plots across all the stages.
o This consistency provides a tool for predictability.

• The transnational phenomenon of radicalization in the West is largely a function of the people and the environment in which they live. Much different from the Israeli-Palestinian equation, the transformation of a Western-based individual to a terrorist is not triggered by oppression, suffering, revenge, or desperation.
• Rather, it is a phenomenon that occurs because the individual is looking for an identity and a cause and unfortunately, often finds them in the extremist Islam.
• There is no useful profile to assist law enforcement or intelligence to predict who will follow this trajectory of radicalization. Rather, the individuals who take this course begin as “unremarkable” from various walks of life.• Europe’s failure to integrate the 2nd and 3rd generation of its immigrants into society, both economically and socially, has left many young Muslims torn between the secular West and their religious heritage. This inner conflict makes them especially vulnerable to extremism—the radical views, philosophy, and rhetoric that is highly advertised and becoming more and more fashionable among young Muslims in the West.• Muslims in the U.S. are more resistant, but not immune to the radical message.

o Despite the economic opportunities in the United States, the powerful gravitational pull of individuals’ religious roots and identity sometimes supersedes the assimilating nature of American society which includes pursuit of a professional career, financial stability and material comforts.

• The jihadist ideology combines the extreme and minority interpretation [jihadi-Salafi] of Islam with an activist-like commitment or responsibility to solve global political grievances through violence. Ultimately, the jihadist envisions a world in which jihadi-Salafi Islam is dominant and is the basis of government.

• The Internet is a driver and enabler for the process of radicalization

o In the Self-Identification phase, the Internet provides the wandering mind of the conflicted young Muslim or potential convert with direct access to unfiltered radical and extremist ideology.
o It also serves as an anonymous virtual meeting place—a place where virtual groups of like-minded and conflicted individuals can meet, form virtual relationships and discuss and share the jihadi-Salafi message they have encountered.
o During the Indoctrination phase, when individuals adopt this virulent ideology, they begin interpreting the world from this newly-formed context. Cloaked with a veil of objectivity, the Internet allows the aspiring jihadist to view the world and global conflicts through this extremist lens, further reinforcing the objectives and political arguments of the jihadi-Salafi agenda.
o In the Jihadization phase, when an individual commits to jihad, the Internet serves as an enabler—providing broad access to an array of information on targets, their vulnerabilities and the design of weapons.

• Individuals generally appear to begin the radicalization process on their own. Invariably, as they progress through the stages of radicalization they seek likeminded individuals. This leads to the creation of groups or clusters. These clusters appear almost essential to progressing to the Jihadization stage—the critical stage that leads to a terrorist act.

o “Group think” is one of the most powerful catalysts for leading a group to actually committing a terrorist act. It acts as a force-multiplier for radical thought while creating a competitive environment amongst the group members for being the most radical.

• Although there are many groups or clusters of individuals that are on the path of radicalization, each group needs certain archetypes to evolve from just being a “bunch of guys” to an operational terrorist cell. All eleven case studies had:

o A “spiritual sanctioner” who provides the justification for jihad—a justification that is especially essential for the suicide terrorist. In some cases the sanctioner was the nucleus around which the cluster formed.
o An “operational leader” who is essential as the group decides to conduct a terrorist act--organizing, controlling and keeping the group focused and its motivation high.

• The full radicalization of a Western individual, or groups of individuals, does not always result in the committing of a terrorist act in the West. Many fully radicalized individuals have first looked to conduct jihad by becoming mujahedeen and fighting in conflicts overseas.

o The image of the heroic, holy warrior or “mujahedeen” has been widely marketed on the Internet as well as in jihadi tapes and videos. This image continues to resonate among young, especially Muslim, men 15-35 yearsold—men who are most vulnerable to visions of honor, bravery and sacrifice for what is perceived as a noble cause.
o Among those individuals who travel abroad in search of jihad, some end up as mujahedeen and fight in foreign lands; some are re-directed to commit acts in the West, often in their country of origin, while others give up and return home because they can’t endure the training or have a change of heart.o For those groups of homegrown radicalized individuals who do not seek jihad abroad, the dedication and commitment of their leader to jihad is often the main factor in determining whether the group will commit a terrorist act or not.

• Although the 9/11 attack, with its overseas origins, is more of an exception in terms of how terrorist plots have been launched since the destruction of the Twin Towers, it has probably been the most important factor in proliferating the process of radicalization, especially in the West. More importantly, 9/11 established the current trend of committing an act in the name of global jihad as a natural culmination of full radicalization and the ultimate responsibility for the fully radicalized jihadist.

o Prior to 9/11, the entire radicalization process moved at a much slower rate. There was no direct link to jihad, other than to become a mujahedeen. Aspiring jihadists would travel to Afghanistan without any idea that they could become actual terrorists. Now, there is no longer any illusion as to what the adoption of jihadi-Salafi ideology means.o The radicalization process is accelerating in terms of how long it takes and the individuals are continuing to get younger. Moreover, with the higher risks associated with heading down this pathway, individuals will seek to conceal their actions earlier, making intelligence and law enforcement’s job even more difficult.

• It is useful to think of the radicalization process in terms of a funnel. Entering the process does not mean one will progress through all four stages and become a terrorist. However, it also does not mean that if one doesn’t become a terrorist, he or she is no longer a threat. Individuals who have been radicalized but are not jihadists may serve as mentors and agents of influence to those who might become the terrorists of tomorrow.
• The subtle and non-criminal nature of the behaviors involved in the process of radicalization makes it difficult to identify or even monitor from a law enforcement standpoint. Taken in isolation, individual behaviors can be seen as innocuous; however, when seen as part of the continuum of the radicalization process, their significance becomes more important. Considering the sequencing of these behaviors and the need to identify those entering this process at the earliest possible stage makes intelligence the critical

Some of the points discussed are already obvious, while some will come out in the coming weeks. The NY Post has already discovered the local mosque where the bombers were radicalized, and their postings on various websites confirm that they were using the internet to communicate with like-minded radicals. Eventually, the full picture of how they were radicalized and what groups facilitated this will come out.

I originally thought the whole brigade show of force in Boston was a bit much and thought it might inspire someone to gain the same notoriety as these two...but now that we know it was an orchestrated attack by muslim jihadists, I've changed my position.
I think we as a country should go after these perpetrators with all we have.... They should show that the only possible results of these types of attacks will be a violent death or capture.
This is not some pissant Middle Eastern country where these attacks are secretly applauded by the government. Any attack on American soil should yield an over the top response that makes any home-grown (or other) wanna be terrorist think twice.

Agreed, but the problem is that the ties between these two and any foreign government is pretty tenuous. The official government in Chechnya wants nothing to do with them and couldn't wait to denounce them. Even Putin has agreed to more cooperation on terrorism (he loathes the Chechens and would happily assist us in taking down any of their support structure). The perps themselves tend to be perfectly happy to die for jihad (once radicalized, they see their lives as inherently corrupt, and only redeemable through sacrifice, just as the anarchists did during their terror phase). Defeating them requires that we identify them during the earlier phases of indoctrination and defeat them preemptively, while going after the ideological umbrella groups overseas, and targeting state sponsors when appropriate.

Originally Posted by Apocalypse

Personally I question the legality of what they did in Boston irregardless.

They first locked down (Martial Law) the whole city. Where is the legal right to order that?

Second they were going door to door, taking home owners out of their houses forcing them to put their hands on a car as if they were criminals and be frisked, while officers without a warrent searched their homes. Again, where is the legal right to order that?

I get it, there was a terrorist on the loose, but when did due process get put aside?

Local and state governments have always had the right to impose martial law during emergencies. Had this been a hurricane, with widespread looting, or a riot, nobody would have questioned the imposition of martial law. What made this unique was the nature of the act that precipitated the declaration. A terrorist manhunt is a relatively unusual phenomenon (although not a recent one, as the manhunts for anarchist terrorists during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, or the post-bellum manhunts for KKK terrorists during Reconstruction demonstrate). Unfortunately, we will see more of this as time goes one, not only because of jihadis, but because of OWS, union thuggery and assorted other violent groups who will use terror to advance their agenda. As long as domestic dissidents see terrorism as a legitimate means of addressing their grievances, we will be have to respond to their acts in this manner. This is the face of the future. We need to figure out how we are going to slap it.

New Jersey must have really done something that irritated God, first Sandy and now Giraldo.

Gerry Rivers first has to beat Hero Mayor Corey Booker in the democratic primary before he can run against a republican for the Senate. I don't think that the ultimate media whore can beat a mayor who ran into a burning building to save someone. At least, I hope not.